Photo: MTI/EPA/Christian Bruna
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Kyiv earlier this week to discuss a proposal for peace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Friday, he traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Regarding the PM's peace mission in Ukraine and Russia, Mandiner contacted Sebastian Kurz, who was chancellor of Austria from 2017-2019 and 2020-2021.
„The aggressive Russian war on Ukraine has brought unbelievable suffering. Our first priority must be to end the bloodshed and return to negotiations. This can only be achieved through diplomacy and open communication.
The efforts of Viktor Orban and the Hungarian EU Presidency offer an opportunity to take a step in the right direction, but ultimately it is up to the warring parties to work out a solution,
Kurz said.
The Hungarian PM has long enjoyed good relations with the Austrian conservative politician, who said in an interview for our newspaper that he has always been able to cooperate well with Hungary throughout his political career.
„On a personal level, I have good relations with Peter Szijjarto and Viktor Orban, as well as with many other members of the Hungarian government”, he said.
As we reported on Friday morning, the Hungarian PM held talks with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on his trip to Moscow on Friday. Mandiner also contacted Sarkozy, who told our newspaper that „there is no military solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war. Peace can only be achieved through diplomacy and negotiations. At the end of the day, it will be up to the parties to decide. But the first step is to restore the channels of communication. The Hungarian prime minister is doing the right thing by working toward this.”
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